'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
Warning: This story discusses details of child pornography allegations
Florida backup quarterback Jalen Kitna was expected to be released from jail on US$80,000 bond on Thursday, a day after he was arrested on five child pornography charges that police said included images of a prepubescent girl having intercourse with an adult man.
Judge Meshon Rawls set the bond and as conditions for Kitna's release ordered him not to have any unsupervised contact with minors and not to have any internet access.
Kitna sobbed into his hands when his parents, including former NFL quarterback Jon Kitna, address the court during a 75-minute appearance. Jalen Kitna was at the Alachua County Jail and on a closed-circuit feed when Jon and Jennifer Kitna stepped to a podium in the courtroom and promised they would supervise their 19-year-old son back home in Burleson, Texas.
Jon Kitna tapped his feet repeatedly and held hands with Jennifer throughout their son's first court appearance. Jalen Kitna donned a green smock -- different from the striped pants and tops other inmates wear -- typically given to those being kept under close watch because of concerns about their welfare. His booking photo showed him in normal jailhouse attire.
"He's got a great family. He's got good family support. He's going to be well taken care of," one of Kitna's attorneys, Caleb Kenyon, said outside the courthouse.
The Gainesville Police Department released Kitna's arrest report Thursday, providing graphic details about the complaints filed against the now-suspended football player.
The investigation began in June with a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children into images of child pornography being shared on the social media platform Discord. The investigation led authorities to Kitna.
Kitna shared two images of a pubescent girl, police said in the report, adding that the phrase "so young junior" was written on both pictures. Kitna told a detective he thought they were legal because he found them online.
When police searched Kitna's phone, they found three more images of two nude pubescent girls in the shower, according to the report. Those three images were saved to his cellphone last December, police said. The report did not estimate the ages of the girls.
Kenyon, the attorney, argued that Kitna should be released with no monetary bond and suggested that those three images could be considered child erotica instead of child porn.
Kitna also told police he had been in other messaging groups on at least one other social media platform that distributed similar material, according to the arrest report.
Discord had previously deactivated Kitna's account because of a violation of the terms of service, police said.
"Discord has a zero-tolerance policy for child sexual abuse, which does not have a place on our platform or anywhere in society," a Discord spokesperson said in a statement released to The Associated Press. "We work relentlessly to find and remove this abhorrent content and take action including banning the users responsible and engaging with the proper authorities."
Two of the five arresting charges, which still need to be formalized by the state attorney's office, are second-degree felonies that could result in a prison term of up to 15 years and a fine of up to US$10,000. The other three are third-degree felonies.
Kitna also is being represented by Gainesville attorney Ron Kozlowski as well as noted Jacksonville attorney Hank Coxe, who has a history of taking on cases involving high-profile athletes.
Kitna appeared in four games as a redshirt freshman for the Gators this season. He completed 10 of his 14 passes for 181 yards and a touchdown.
Jon Kitna played 14 seasons in the NFL with Seattle, Cincinnati, Detroit and Dallas. He started 124 games and now is a high school coach in Burleson, just south of Fort Worth.
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.
English, history, entertainment, math and geography: high school trivia teams could be quizzed on any of it when they compete at the Reach for the Top Nationals in Ottawa in June.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.